Sally Satel makes the argument that there is no such thing as indignity when receiving financial gain for the donation of an organ, and she is correct by saying such. Satel believes that in order to increase the amount of transplants that occur worldwide, there much be some sort of incentive to the donors. The types of incentives should not be regulated by the government though, because the life of an individual that needs an organ is not the business of the national government. Satel opens her argument by describing the two different methods that governments want to take to sole the organ donor and transplant crisis that is occurring in the world today. The first solutions she says that governments want to use is making organ trafficking…
In the essay “Why Abortion is Immoral,” philosopher Don Marquis uses utilitarian principles to argue that “abortion is, except in rare cases, seriously immoral… [and] in the same category as killing an innocent human being” (223). However, he deliberately avoids relating his thesis to abortion in the specific contexts of rape, maternal death, and severe postpartum health complications. Thus, in my analysis of his claim, I plan on adopting Marquis’ utilitarian perspective to evaluate the permissibility of abortion in regard to these delicate scenarios. I will begin my paper by giving a brief summary of “Why Abortion is Immoral.”…
Utilitarianism is a branch of metaethics that focuses on the ideas of consequences, self interest, and unbiasedness. Instead of determining if an action is moral through the immediate effects, Utilitarianism skimps over the short term and instead focuses on the long term effects of actions. Actions are no longer based on intention but, rather the overall effects from those actions determines if the parent event was morally good or bad. Utilitarianism also emphasizes the idea that an individual’s well being trumps all moral responsibilities, if a person has to steal food to eat then by utilitarianist standards this person is being morally correct despite his obvious theft. This is advantage to the ideology as it allows for a greater sense of…
What is the moral theory of utilitarianism? According to Vaughn, “[Utilitarianism is] the view that right actions are those that result in the greatest overall happiness for everyone involved” (Vaughn, 79). At face value such a moral theory sounds great, because it should promote general happiness. While this is true, a particular argument, the telishment argument, shows that utilitarianism is not a viable moral theory because it promotes decisions that run contrary to historical moral inclinations. To prove this is the case, this paper will first dive into what happiness means in the utilitarian sense, the telishment argument itself, what points of contention the tellishment argument brings up against utilitarianism, and finally, what utilitarianism has to say in its own defense.…
Utilitarianism is a normative philosophy of ethics that has been around since the late eighteenth century. It earliest proponents were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. The general idea of utilitarianism is that there is no morality measurement except results. So, when one is deciding how to act, the only thing that matters is what the results of the actions are. Utilitarianism says that the actions that cause the most happiness and the least amount of unhappiness or pain are the moral acts.…
(Regal T., 1985, p.35) Tom Regan believes that in terms of utilitarianism, such murder can be justified, so, he also rejects it as an inadequate theory. Regan eventually concludes that none of them can be correct, and offers the most satisfactory theory in his view, that is the rights view. (Regal T., 1985, p.36) This theory is based on the concept of intrinsic value. The author…
When faced with an emergency either illness or injury going to the hospital becomes the only means of obtaining treatment. Imagine entering the hospital as a homeless person facing a life-threatening illness. After providing every treatment possible, it is certain there is no cure. Now assume a prominent politician in the same city has just been shot and rushed to the same hospital. This prominent leader faces certain death without a double organ transplant.…
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) had also kidnapped the young kids and trains them to become the child soldiers. They brainwash the young kids to be joining as member of them with the promised of they will protected under the RUF. The villagers in Sierra Leone had live in turmoil. The issue was portrayed when the Solomon Vandy having a good time with his son, Dia Vandy.…
What is Utilitarianism? Utilitarianism is a philosophical concept that holds an action to be held right if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarian’s define the morally right actions as those actions that maximize happiness and minimize misery. Many believe that utilitarianism is an unrealistic theory. Arguments and responses to utilitarianism being too demanding have been made John Stuart Mill and Peter Singer.…
Shirley Jackson is the author of the short story called “The Lottery.” When reading this story, the reader could possibly believe that they are able to foresee the ending. “The Lottery” takes place in a small town, with a population of about three hundred people, on June 27 at ten in the morning. Jackson provides the reader with visuals that range from the town gathering and getting ready for the lottery to the town kids playing outside and collecting rocks. The importance of this lottery is that is not what it comes off to be, instead it is an act of sacrifice that is believed to be important in order to keep society stable.…
Humans thrive on the ability to make choices and have options. Choices allow for the greatest individuals benefit and ensures that we survive by making the best decisions for our well-being. Modern society has evolved in a way where we are no longer in constant danger for our lives, but instead, are looking for ways to thrive. Utilitarianism is a well-known moral theory that bases itself on the universal principle of utility which is described as “always acting in ways that maximize happiness and minimizing harm for the aggregate”. A theory such as Utilitarianism is very attractive and makes moral sense intuitively.…
Utilitarianism is the theory that the right decision is that which produces the greatest amount of good, everyone considered. The strengths of this theory is that we are not simply considered our own selfish wants, but the good of all people. The struggle we often have with this concept is that utilitarianists are forced to make decisions where there is often a lot of collateral damage. That begs the question as to whether the good created is greater than the loss. The Tuskegee experiments are a perfect example of this principle.…
Abortion is one of the utmost common, uncomfortable and controversial topic. People throughout the world are pretty much forced to choose a side, but do not realize that there might be a difference between what we think about the law disposing abortion. With that being said, abortion can be portrayed as both morally wrong and permissible. Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham both document this in their theories and beliefs. Kant does this with his deontological theory which describes how morality should be focused on duties and adhere to rules and imperatives, and Bentham opposes this with utilitarianism views, which focuses on the consequences of an action.…
In this paper, I will analyze John Harris’ argument structure in his 1975 article “The Survival Lottery,” then raise an objection to one of his arguments, then I will state what I believe Harris’ response to my arguments would be. After an analysis of Harris’ arguments, I disagree with Harris’ assertion that all lives are equal based on arguments involving society, virtue, and social effect. I believe that Harris would counter with arguments of utilitarianism, legality, and application of the veil of ignorance. Harris concludes through his arguments, a lottery to select those that would be killed for the purpose of organ harvest is not just morally permissible, it is a moral obligation.…
The Utilitarian and Deontological Discussion of Abortion Today, abortion has become a heavily debated topic whether socially or politically since the medical procedure was voted legal by the Supreme Court over 40 years ago. It is defined as the purposeful termination of a pregnancy before a normal childbirth (Abortion: Get Facts About the Procedure and Statistics). Whether you find yourself agreeing with it or not, many people have something to say. Abortion is very controversial because of the discussion whether or not a fetus is a person. Many wonder if there is a morally relevant point at some duration throughout the pregnancy or development of the fetus that could justify having an abortion or possibly not having an abortion.…